Alternative medicine often feels more personal than conventional care, says physician

Dr. Hannah Kerman, a New York physician, writes that many patients turn to acupuncturists or massage therapists because they feel more attended to than during typical medical visits.

She describes the conventional experience as long waiting rooms, brief appointments, and a maze of specialists and prior authorizations that can leave patients feeling unwell despite treatment.

Alternative providers, by contrast, often schedule lengthy intake sessions to explore personal history and symptoms, giving patients a sense of being heard and improving their subjective well‑being.

Kerman notes that historically doctors used treatments like cocaine or steroids that offered rapid symptom relief, but these carried significant side‑effect risks.

She concludes that while modern medicine focuses on clinical outcomes, it may need to give greater weight to the patient experience of feeling good.